Indiana Historical Bureau

A Note Regarding Resources: Items are listed on this page that enhance work with the topic discussed. Some older items, especially, may include dated practices and ideas that are no longer generally accepted. Resources reflecting current practices are noted whenever possible

Selected Reading

Brown, Gene. Violence on America’s Streets. Brookfield, CT: The Millbrook Press, 1992.Street crime, gun control, the criminal justice system, and other aspects of crime and violence in modern America are discussed on an intermediate reading level.

Schleichert, Elizabeth. The Life of Dorothea Dix. Frederick, MD: Twenty-First Century Books, 1992.Dix, a nineteenth-century reformer, devoted much of her life to improving the treatment of the mentally ill. This concern led her to prison reform. For intermediate readers.

Goldfarb, Ronald. Jails: The Ultimate Ghetto. Garden City, NY: Anchor Press/Doubleday, 1975.This book focuses on the history of local American jails and their particular problems.

Marshall, Helen E. Dorothea Dix: Forgotten Samaritan. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 1937.Biography of Dix and examination of her role as champion of reform in human dignity for those who are institutionalized.

McKelvey, Blake. American Prisons: A History of Good Intentions. Montclair, NJ: Patterson Smith, 1977.An in-depth look at the history of American prisons—origins, reform movements, and future prospects.

The following facilities are listed as museums open to the public by the Association of Indiana Museums. Additional jails have been preserved and are used for other functions.

Indiana State Police Youth Education and Historical Center, Indianapolis. This new museum includes crime and punishment, law enforcement, investigative techniques, and a reference library. Tours can be specially designed. Call Jerry Federspeil, 317-899-8293.

Old Log Jail and Chapel in the Park Museums, Greenfield, 317-462-7780.

Kosciusko County Jail Museum, Warsaw, 219-269-1078.

Old Jail Museum, Crawfordsville, 317-362-5222.

Old Jail Museum, Albion, 219-636-2803.

Old Jail Museum, Valparaiso, 219-465-3595.

Special thanks to Michael Berger, Director and Curator of the Old Jail Museum in Crawfordsville, for sharing his time, knowledge, and enthusiasm.